In May, my college friend Christine decided to marry her sweetheart John, who is perhaps one of the funniest grooms that I've ever worked with. He kept the jokes coming all through the day. That's only if you could look away for one minute from Christine's show-stopping gown! Despite a few mid-day rain showers, these two and their bridal party kept us laughing!

After very lovely catholic ceremony, Christine and John had a sundae booth outside the church entrance for guests to enjoy. So guests began their day with a treat, and then went over to Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium for a fun time with all the animals. We were able to catch the lions and polar bears enjoying their evening outside, as well as the super adorable sea otters. The night was certainly one to remember!

I have known Ashley and Rob for many years - as well as Ashley's entire family it seems! Believe it or not, I actually saw my first concert EVER (N'Sync) with Ashley at Starlake Ampitheater many years ago! Of course I was actually attending with her cousin, Elizabeth Elias (my best friend at the time), but the whole Cycak family was there. Back in November 2008, I had the privilege to capture video at Ashley's sister (Lauren)'s wedding, which gave way to Lauren's son, Ryan, being the ring bearer at Ashley & Rob's wedding (the cute 2-year old).

Although Ashley wasn't dating Rob at the time of the concert, I do know that these two have been together for a very, very long time (~11 years!) They met in 10th grade through a mutual friend (at our high school in Greensburg, Hempfield Area Senior High School), but went in different directions until senior year when the two crossed paths again. After they both graduated, Ashley and Rob began to date and have been together ever since!

Ashley and Rob would like to thank all of their family and friends who have played an important part in making their beautiful wedding day come together! Now they are finally married - and I had the privilege to photograph the occasion! The day began in a room at the Westin Hotel and Convention Center in Downtown Pittsburgh.

Lauren's son, Ryan, served as the Ring Bearer - so cute!
2013-12-12_0010www.bridgettkay.com

2013-12-12_0011www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0012www.bridgettkay.com

Father of the Bride, Jack Cycak, reviews the day's itinerary.
2013-12-12_0014www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0015www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0016www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0017www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0018www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0019www.bridgettkay.com

A lovely shot of Rob with his mother, Cindy.
2013-12-12_0020www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0021www.bridgettkay.com

Ashley and Jack looking great as they make their way up the aisle.
2013-12-12_0022www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0024www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0025www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0026www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0027www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0028www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-18_0001www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0031www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0032www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0033www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0034www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0038www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0036www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0035www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0037www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0039www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0040www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0042www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0041www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0043www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0044www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0045www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0046www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0047www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0048www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0049www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0050www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0051www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0052www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0053www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0054www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0055www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0056www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0058www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0057www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0059www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0060www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0061www.bridgettkay.com

At Lauren's wedding in 2008, the Cycak family showed me how to REALLY do a money dance - and didn't fail to disappoint at Ashley's wedding! Ashley was surrounded by family and friends as Rob attempted to push through the crowd to get to his bride. What a fun tradition! 2013-12-12_0062www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-17_0001www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0065www.bridgettkay.com2013-12-12_0066www.bridgettkay.com

I am so happy to continue capturing memories for the Cycaks as their family grows. A HUGE shootout to Mona, Jack, Lauren, & Chris for being so gracious and wonderful every time we're together! And the BIGGEST shootout to Ashley & Rob: I love you both dearly, and wish you a lifetime of luck and happy memories!

Do you remember, the 21st night of September? It was perhaps the luckiest wedding day anyone could ever have due to the extensive downpours of rain throughout the day - but my dear friends Jody and Sean didn't let a little rain stop them from having the time of their lives! It was absolutely a night to remember (and, that Earth, Wind, & Fire song "September" was their very appropriate reception entrance song!)

I've known Jody for roughly the entire time I've considered myself a professional photographer. Our relationship began in 2007 when I interned in the Corporate Communications department at PNC Bank in downtown Pittsburgh. I first met Sean during an outing w/Jody to Molly Brannigan's in Mt. Lebanon - back when Jody was still crushing on him. The two of them have dated ever since, and I believe it to be a very successful match! I am so happy to call both Jody and Sean my close friends, and look forward to celebrating our wedding anniversaries roughly 1 month apart for the rest of our lives!

Have you ever been to a real live auction? Frankly, my only experience with auctions before this event was eBay and the various silent auctions that happen at galas and such.

Earlier this month, the Mattress Factory art museum (my FAVORITE museum to visit in Pittsburgh) asked me to photograph their Anniversary Art Auction, which happens every five years. The event was highly successful, bringing in large commissions for some absolutely stunning works of art. What a great way for the museum to celebrate their 35th anniversary!

Todd and Candace traveled all the way from Shippensburg to be with family and friends for their wedding in Pittsburgh. Candace and Todd met in 2010 while working together as TSS for autistic youth at the Franklin Learning Center.

Their love story begins there and continues as Todd asked Candace to marry him while ice skating at PPG Place. We shot their engagement photos last December at PPG Ice Rink, which you can check out here: Candace & Todd's Downtown Engagement.

Candace & Todd Fun Facts: Candace, at one point in her career, worked at Disney World (sounds like fun!). Todd is known for his outstanding basketball skills -awarded for scoring over 1000 points in his college basketball career!

The couple's gorgeous wedding day (perfect weather, might I add) began with a musically-rich ceremony at Missionary Temple Ministries in East Liberty.

After a bubble send-off, the couple jumped in the limo and headed off to the first part of their reception, held at Central Baptist Church.

2013-10-09_0022

2013-10-09_00242013-10-09_00232013-10-09_00252013-10-09_0026

At Central Baptist, the guests enjoyed light refreshments, cake, and many of the traditional wedding events - although it was anything but traditional having both the guys and the girls so anxious to catch the bouquet and garter.

Once these festivities were completed, the couple and their closest family and friends traveled once more to Hyde Park, a steakhouse on the North Side. Candace changed into her cute purple shoes, and we photographed the bridal party in the lovely area right beside the restaurant.

As we were finishing Candace & Todd's portraits, the Pirates game was just letting out - little did they know that we'd soon be off to the Playoffs!
2013-10-09_00362013-10-09_00382013-10-09_00372013-10-09_00392013-10-09_00402013-10-09_0041

At the end of the night, Candace & Todd did two "exit shots" - one with sparklers and one with Chinese lanterns. The next day, they traveled off to Cancun for a week of paradise!

A Very Special Shoutout: To Candace's Aunt Debbie (a.k.a. Debbie Moncrief of Missionary Temple Ministries), who graciously helped the couple pull together their wedding plans remotely in Pittsburgh when they couldn't be here.

On a delightful, beautifully overcast Sunday evening, a few things were happening in Mellon Park:

1 - A wedding.

2 - A family photography session.

3 - Joe & Julia's engagement photos!

Despite the other events, Mellon Park is full of fabulous places for photos!

Joe & Julia are some dear friends of mine, and are set to be married this May! In a nutshell: Joe and Julia are high school sweethearts that can make each other laugh on cue (which you will see further down this post).

Dope & Natural Pittsburgh's mission is to be an outlet for men and women to celebrate their hair in its natural state through educational programming, events, & community service. The ladies (and a few men!) shared stories on "going natural" with their hair. I must say, they sure know what they're talking about too. All of them were such beautiful women to photograph!

This fantastic group of people is the Todd family - known for their outrageous get-togethers, hilarious White Elephant gifts, and rapid population growth! Shown in the photo below are all of the original Todd children, their spouses, kids, and grandkids - all the way down to the newborn Ella Grace! The only one person missing is Zach, who was unable to make it out to Toddapalooza last weekend, but we love him all the same!

Also shown are some of my favorite individual family shots taken that evening. You can tell we really had some fun with this.

I am proud to call myself part of this family. A special thanks to Deb Todd (my Aunt Deb) for coordinating!

While visiting family in Pittsburgh for the Christmas season, Candace and Todd had us shoot their engagement portraits in Downtown Pittsburgh. To commemorate Todd's amazing proposal on the PPG Ice Rink last winter, we traveled there to begin our session.

These two have so much love for each other, they made my job easy! I just photographed their natural poses as they lovingly enjoyed each other's company and warmth among the frigid winter air.

You've been hearing a lot these days how important it is for America to enhance its education system and bring skilled professionals into our workforce. I used to think that this would be a problem that universities would handle; offering better post-high school education that taught solid skills students could carry with them through their career.

However, my thought process has changed entirely as a result of photographing the National Summer Learning Association's conference at the Westin Convention Center Hotel this October. Having spent three days among the country's top educators and education advisors, I now understand how important it is to enhance and nurture our involvement in educating our young people throughout their educational careers, especially during the summer months when the "learning achievement gap" sets in to essentially delete part of the child's learning achievements from the previous school year.

NSLA2012Conference 279

I'll be honest - my first impression upon hearing the words "summer school" was pretty much, "Are they STILL trying to take away childhood from children, making them go to school year-round?" I was very fearful of that as a child, thinking falsely that my summers spent running around outside in the sunshine would forever be taken from me. Until I realized - what if summer school was actually really fun and actually gave me a boost me when I went back to school that fall? Ultimately, the time spent during regular school months would then be easier.

The statistics are astounding. Research shows that most students lose two months of grade level equivalency in math computational skills during the summer months. Not to mention that students from low-income families lose more than two months of reading achievement.

NSLA2012Conference 283

In addition, access to adequate nutrition, supervision, and engaging activities lacks for many children once school is out, leading to an increase in weight gain for these students in the summer (ultimately contributing to the childhood obesity epidemic).

Due to the intrigue of technology and the tendency for children to stay indoors and play video games all day, as well as access to any food in the house during that time - I'd say this statistic is probably pretty accurate. (Note: To be clear, I am not hating on gamers, but child gamers without good parents may never get off the couch.)

NSLA2012Conference 205

And so, the National Summer Learning Association has converted another skeptic on summer learning into a promoter on the issue. Having awesome summer programs that keep our nation's children (at ALL income levels) engaged, educated, eating right, and constantly achieving is a goal that is important to our future, our children's future, and the future of our planet.

We must seize the opportunity to maximize the potential of summer as the perfect season for educational innovation that shows students, teachers, and the wider world all that is possible for our young people.

Monday's Pre-Conference Training Institute encouraged the top minds at the conference to connect and share ideas for developing better summer programs for their respective areas of influence.

NSLA2012Conference 009

NSLA2012Conference 022

NSLA2012Conference 188Attendees played engaging social activities to give them ideas for summer programming.

NSLA2012Conference 309Wednesday's morning session began with an introduction from a 6-year-old girl to enforce the idea that children are our future.

NSLA2012Conference 354Sandra M. Alberti, Director of Partnership Initiatives and Professional Development for Student Achievement Partners speaks about the development and importance of the Common Core State Standards.

NSLA2012Conference 372NSLA2012Conference 444Conference sessions filled the day with a multitude of refreshing ideas for summer learning.

On Wednesday morning, the program began with "Short Talks on Bright Ideas in Summer Learning." Kate Shatzkin, the Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the National Summer Learning Association introduced the speakers.

An engaging ice breaker game designed to promote physical activity in the classroom in the "Healthy Summers: Strategies to Promote Nutrition, Fitness, and Fun!" session led by Katie Willse, Senior Director of Community Initiatives for the National Summer Learning Association.

NSLA2012Conference 1077Set up for the Campfire Spirit Luncheon on Wednesday.

NSLA2012Conference 1108The " 2012 Spirit Stick."

NSLA2012Conference 1135The Pittsburgh Public Schools' Summer Dreamers Academy Campers from the Marilyn G. Rabb Foundation's "Art Activism" program performed for conference attendees at the Campfire Spirit Luncheon on Wednesday.

NSLA2012Conference 1210Last year's spirit award honoree Grenae Dudley, President and CEO of The Youth Connection in Detroit, MI led the initiative to get attendees fired up.

NSLA2012Conference 1229Jennifer Hicks, the Technical Assistance Manager for Out of School Time at the Partnership for Children and Youth cheers wildly in an effort to have her table win the 2012 Spirit Award. NSLA2012Conference 1262Jennifer Hicks and her spirited table win the 2012 Spirit Award, and she becomes the new Spirit Captain. She will will reign over the Spirit Stick until next year's conference.

NSLA2012Conference 1360

Coincidentally, Jennifer Hicks co-led the session "Building Community" right after the spirit luncheon with Katie Brackenridge, the Senior Director for Out of School Time Initiatives at the Partnership for Children and Youth in Oakland, CA. Pictured above are attendees having a blast in her high-energy session.

Renee Rabenold, a talented actress about to graduate from Point Park University, recently had BKP shoot new headshots for an upcoming audition. She's an absolutely gorgeous girl with a very good imagination and knack for acting. I know this because she was very good at not acting like she was freezing the day we shot (even though it was borderline freezing) and she was in a short-sleeved shirt half the time. You can't even tell. Worth it! Don't you think?

Our last shots of the day were taken outside of the Carnegie Library in Oakland just minutes before a rainstorm blew in. Needless to say, we ran to the car before freezing to death. But I think we got a ton of great images showcasing the many sides of Renee.

Gorgeous leather albums, linen coffee table books, keepsake boxes, and customized discs make their official debut for 2013! Here's a preview of these simply fun products.

BKP_2013Products 001We'll start with the Leather Mini Album - my absolute favorite photo product of all time! They are 4"x4" leather albums, ordered in pairs, that provides a transportable mini version of your large wedding album. What makes them so great? They're super durable, include the same number of pages as your Leather Storybook Album (description below), and they fit nicely in your purse to easily share with friends!

BKP_2013Products 006BKP_2013Products 007BKP_2013Products 008BKP_2013Products 009BKP_2013Products 010BKP_2013Products 011Next up: the delightful Keepsake Box: a 5"x7"x2" box for personal storage of any kind. A perfect place to store your garter, jewelry, handkerchief, or other special items from your wedding day. The exterior of the box is completely customized to match your style.

BKP_2013Products 003

BKP_2013Products 024

BKP_2013Products 002

Speaking of customization - let's check out the disc you'll receive of your 400-600 professionally retouched, high-resolution digital images. This customized disc set is included in every wedding package we offer!

BKP_2013Products 013BKP_2013Products 014BKP_2013Products_VOur disc sets are beautifully designed to match the style of your complete order. Shown on the left, the disc set includes the same cover photo and style as the box for the Leather Storybook Album pictured on the right.

BKP_2013Products 017What better keepsake for your special day than a 10"x10" Leather Storybook Album? Including 30 storybook-thick pages, this album is sure to last. Especially when it comes with this rigid display box to keep it safe!

BKP_2013Products 019

BKP_2013Products 018

BKP_2013Products 020BKP_2013Products 022BKP_2013Products 023With every album, you get an opportunity to review the content before it goes to print. In addition, we also offer a Linen Coffee Table Book for the bride who wishes to have a thinner, lower-cost book with a high level of elegance. Available in the same 10"x10" size as the Leather Storybook Album, this book also includes 30 pages of content, printed on flexible photo pages. It is offered in the hardback linen cover texture, shown below.

BKP_2013Products 028

BKP_2013Products_V2BKP_2013Products 031BKP_2013Products 030

We offer eight bold leather and linen colors for our album and book covers; seven of which are shown in a swatch set below. Our printing company recently added an eighth color, gray, to the lineup.

BKP_2013Products 005

I hope you enjoyed this product preview! Check www.bridgettkay.com in the coming weeks to see our new site updates, which will include a testimonial page, wedding and event investment information, our 2013 lineup, and our preferred vendors.

Last Friday was the most beautiful day of fall. Many of the trees had already turned but the weather was gorgeous - over 75 degrees! So, my friend Arvin Clay and I decided to shoot a fun portrait session in one of my new favorite places for portraits - Allegheny Cemetery. And no - this DOES NOT have anything to do with Halloween, and EVERYTHING to do with the beautiful fall scenery and Arvin's unique personality.

Arvin is an amazing natural light photographer, with an emphasis in fashion-style photography. My goal with this shoot was to capture Arvin's artistic spirit, with shots that mimic his style of photography. I don't even think I came close - but I learned that it's fairly difficult to sacrifice your own style. Especially in the editing.

A first birthday. What a joyous occasion; especially at Trax Farms! Trax Farms consists of a pumpkin patch and a giant daily fall festival of seasonal selections designed to please the kids and entertain all ages. If you haven't been there, you should certainly make a point to get there before the season is through. It's huge!

Miss Marlea celebrated her first birthday there this October, and what a fun party it was! Parents Renee and Lucas, along with their son River, were so delighted to host the celebration in the event room inside the market building.

Marlea1stBday 001

Marlea1stBday 202

The children decorated pumpkins, enjoyed some delicious food, and sang happy birthday to Marlea, who seemed to enjoy her candle more than the cake!

Marlea1stBday 110

Marlea1stBday 113Marlea1stBday 116

Marlea1stBday 134

The kids soon realized that they could use the decorations on their own faces, too!

Marlea1stBday 138

And yes, there were bales of hay that the kids loved to roll around in.

Marlea_Vert02Marlea looks so happy in this shot!

Marlea1stBday 142Renee tells me that Marlea just started walking a few weeks ago. Here she is practicing with her mom!

Marlea_Vert03

This gorgeous day was unexpected but welcomed, as the forecast called for rain all day - but it never came.

Marlea1stBday 166We all went on a hayride through Trax Farms and watched as people picked their pumpkins from the patch.

Marlea1stBday 178River, Marlea's brother, sits with his grandmother in the front section of the hayride.

After our awesome week of lovely sights, hiking, boat riding, parasailing, and sightseeing in Tahoe, Michael and I took his grandmother Marilyn's car and traveled over to San Francisco for a night. We stayed on Fisherman's Wharf and did as much as we could do in one day. Then we stopped down in Cupertino to visit Apple on our way to Carmel.

California2012 568California2012 570In Carmel, there were a ton of cute places but the weather was so terrible that I didn't get a lot of outdoor shots. Here's a fun window of a French restaurant. They stamped their bread with a "B" like when my mom used to sing me in her personal version of "Paddycake." "Paddycake, paddycake, baker's man. Bake me a cake as fast as you can..."

California2012 599

These cute pups were chasing each other around the beach like crazies... so cute!

California2012 511

Even wildlife is totally unique on the west coast. These weird flowers reminded me of something you'd see in the City of Oz.

Cali_V5California2012 517

There are SO many more great photos to show you - but I can't put them all in the blog! My blogs are too long as it is... If you'd like to view the full online gallery featuring our trip to California, visit the full online gallery here: http://www.bridgettkay.com/tahoe2012

Hello everyone! Whew it's been a long time since my last post; however - I've begun my new contract with Whirl Magazine and have been shooting events for them almost every day! It's been a blast meeting all the best people at the hottest events around Pittsburgh!

So get ready for the October Blogfest. It begins with a recap of my trip to California this August. The trip was a two-week adventure that began with a week in Lake Tahoe with the Winters' family (my soon-to-be family-in-law), and another week with my future husband Michael traveling along the northwest coast of Cali.

And so it all began at Michael's grandparents home that's snuggled on the shore of Carnelian Bay at Lake Tahoe.

California2012 220

California2012 285

This was the second time I've been able to travel to Lake Tahoe, and let me say - it's the most breathtaking place in the world. Even when there are clouds in the sky... which is not very often.

California2012 015At night, you can see every star in the sky.

California2012 210

A native Steller's Jay nibbles on some snacks we gave him.

California2012 023This is Theliah. She is Michael's grandmother Marilyn's cute little Dachshund dog with di-chormatic eyes and a very chilled out personality.

California2012 036California2012 057We made a trip up to the old gold mining town Virginia City.

California2012 076We took a tour of an old mine and saw some cool artifacts from the harsh days of coal mining. I can't even imagine dealing with real dynamite. You remember what happened to Arzt, right?

California2012 118Candy store!

California2012 107So the next day we were treated to a morning of parasailing by Michael's grandma Marilyn. I loved the gorgeous view of the lake from that high up - which by the way - was 800 feet above the water!

California2012 152Oh yeah - and Marilyn decided to join Dan on a parasail ride as well - at 83 years old!

California2012 175I think she truly loved it...

California2012 186California2012 217Clear Tahoe skies with the bright sun reflecting off of the lake.

California2012 227California2012 248This is Michael, Dan, me (Bridgett), and Harry hanging out up at the tea house on an island in Emerald Bay. We had to swim over to the island from the boat and climb up the mountain to get there. Very cool.